In Iran attack, Trump seeks what he foreswore -- regime change
Trump, who has ordered a military buildup in the Middle East unseen since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, made clear in a video address that his goal was to remove the cleric-run state that has long been a US nemesis.
Trump, who had publicly suggested for weeks a more limited goal of forcing a deal on Iran to end its nuclear program, said that Iran's missiles will be "obliterated" and said the United States would "annihilate" the Iranian navy.
Speaking to Iranians, Trump said: "When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take."
"This will be, probably, your only chance for generations," Trump said. "The hour of your freedom is at hand."
Indicating coordination, the son of Iran's late pro-Western shah, who was toppled in the 1979 Islamic revolution, released his own address in which he called for Iranians to wait -- and then seize power.
"Stay vigilant and ready so that, at the appropriate time -- which I will announce to you precisely -- you can return to the streets for the final action," said Reza Pahlavi, who lives in exile in the Washington area.
Trump himself had long criticized US attempts to remake the Middle East.
In a speech last year in Riyadh, Trump denounced previous US policymakers as failures for seeking to install new systems in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"In the end, the so-called nation-builders wrecked far more nations than they built, and the interventionists were intervening in complex societies that they did not even understand themselves," Trump said in his speech.
Trump's close advisor Stephen Miller, in social media posts during the 2024 election, had cast rival Kamala Harris as a warmonger and said "millions die" if she becomes president.
"Trump said warmongering neocons love sending your kids to die for wars they would never fight themselves," Miller wrote, posting: "Kamala = WWIII. Trump = Peace."
Changing equation in Iran
Much has changed in Iran since Trump's earlier statements.
Mass demonstrations, initially triggered by concerns over the cost of living, started building in late December and posted the greatest threat ever to the Islamic republic.
Authorities crushed the demonstrations ruthlessly, with thousands of people killed.
Trump also showed a willingness to use force aggressively in Venezuela, ordering a January 3 attack in which US forces snatched leftist leader Nicolas Maduro.
But Trump's previous operations have been one-off strikes that he has quickly framed as victories.
In Venezuela, Trump has sought not to install the democratic opposition, long supported by Washington but instead has hailed cooperation from interim president Delcy Rodriguez, who was Maduro's deputy.
Trump has threatened Rodriguez with violence if she does not do his bidding, starting with helping US oil companies.
Senator Ruben Gallego, a Democrat who served in Iraq, said he empathized with Iranians but that the president could not attack another country on a "whim."
"The regime's actions shouldn't become an excuse for a wider war that punishes civilians and puts our troops at risk," he said.